


Reckless Caution

by uriexstyles



Category: One Direction (Band), Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Angst, Bachelor Party, M/M, Vacation, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uriexstyles/pseuds/uriexstyles
Summary: Brendon swears that nothing will come between him and Harry, not even being forced to go on vacation with Ryan Ross days before his best friend's wedding.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a while since i've posted a chaptered fic but here i am  
> hope you enjoy!

The light bulb hanging above the table flickers once, two, three times. 

Sat in the middle of possibly one of the oldest, yet most brilliant pizza parlors in the city of Las Vegas, Brendon is keeping count of how many times the light bulb goes in and out. He’s not alone though; soon, the seats around him will be full with half of his best friend’s wedding party. Because of course, Spencer is getting married in ten days and decided a bachelor’s weekend prior to it was necessary. The wedding day would simply have to be called off if it just so tragically happened to not occur, according to him. 

So being the greatest best man he is, Brendon has orchestrated the whole weekend himself. Spencer had been getting enough of an earful from Linda about symmetry and color schemes and whatnot for about a year now, it’s only fair Brendon stepped in to help with this one thing. 

Going out for pizza the night before their flight to Lake Tahoe was a bit impromptu on his part, but if it was just to give himself a break from packing no one had to know but him. 

On the seventh flick of light, another round of beverages are being set down on the table by their waitress as Harry quickly takes a seat next to Brendon, rambling apologies for his tardiness. It’s so Harry that Brendon can’t help but greet him with a kiss to his cheek. The spot where his lips once were then harbors a dimple instead, and they’re both satisfied. 

Niall files in immediately afterwards. He offers an excited yet warm greeting to everyone and takes the spot next to Spencer while patting his shoulder. 

“Where’s Ryan?” Nick asks from the other side of Harry, glancing at the sixth, empty chair, and Brendon is almost sure he visibly deflates at the mention of the name. 

“He should be walking in any minute now.” Spencer confirms after checking his phone. Brendon feels Harry squeeze his hand reassuringly and he knows he’d definitely sunken into his seat. 

Jon, the person the chair was initially intended for, had recently pulled out of the trip due to a family emergency back home in Chicago. He promised he’d be back for the actual wedding day, much to Spencer’s relief, but until then he insisted on someone taking his spot to enjoy the bachelor fun for him. 

That someone ended up being Ryan Ross. 

But with his ex-boyfriend tagging along or not, Brendon would be damned if he didn’t have fun. Plus, he has Harry by his side through all of this, and after letting himself have the almost too perfect boy, Brendon has no plans of letting him go. 

“Think if we eat all the pizza before then, he’ll care?” Harry jokes suddenly, melting away any tension Brendon had already start to feel. Or maybe he’s making it all up, he can’t tell just quite yet. But he does know that Nick’s loud laugh cues the tenth time the light goes out. 

It takes a second longer for it to come back on, and Spencer replies, “That’s if it ever comes.” 

“You know the service has never been the best here.” Brendon’s own recollection of their past visits in the parlor makes his heart warm, even more when it’s accompanied with his best friend’s soft smile. 

Then, they fall back into a comfortable silence. 

And when Ryan does actually shows up, Brendon nearly wishes they could have stayed in it forever. 

Spencer appears over the moon to have Ryan back in his life like this again, greeting him with a tight hug and a few pinches just to make sure he’s real. Brendon only realizes he’s still gripping Harry’s hand under the table when the warmth is gone. He’s only slightly jealous that Ryan’s hand takes his spot in the form of a handshake. 

“Nice to finally meet my competition.” The sound of Ryan’s voice actually meets Brendon’s hears for once, he’s proud of himself for tuning so much out this far. Of course the first thing he heard from him had to be cocky and annoying, not that anything else was excepted anyway. 

Harry quickly raises an eyebrow but Niall steps in faster. “Think you’ve gotten him mistaken with me, mate,” he proceeds to push his hand towards Ryan as he laughs, “I’m Niall.” 

Thank God for Niall. 

“Ryan,” he states and accepts the gesture. 

Brendon wants to roll his eyes when Ryan then completely looks pasts him again to engulf Nick in an obnoxious hug. He has no time to though, because their waitress is placing pizzas on the table, his ex and the number of times the bulb has blinked now long forgotten. 

He has a habit of zeroing in on one thing while everything else goes out of focus. It keeps him from taking on too much observation and putting his brain into overdrive. At the moment, Brendon didn’t mind that he’s spending his time comparing how many bites it takes to complete two different slices of pizza. As long as he didn’t have to hear whatever story Ryan was telling that everyone was so intrigued with. 

So, he also has a habit of counting meaningless things. And pretending that he’s good at ignoring Ryan Ross’ existence, which is probably the worst of them all. 

Brendon feels Harry press his hand against his bouncing knee and only then does it come to a stop. Breaking away from his thoughts, and more importantly his food, he looks up at Harry to find him already smiling at him. It’s second nature for him to return it. “Thank you.” 

To his surprise, Harry doesn’t respond. Instead, his eyes fall upon Brendon’s lips and it would be so easy to sneak him a few kisses just because he can, but Nick interrupts. 

“Brendon, where’re we staying anyway? I refuse to get stuck in a room with this guy.” He’s motioning towards Niall, who’s now barking out a laugh with his mouth full of food. It’d be an unpleasant sight but since it’s Niall, it’s excusable. And since Brendon hadn’t been paying attention until he was mentioned, he guesses they’ve been discussing the impending trip ahead of them. 

“Bought a cabin a while back, only really got the chance to use it a few times,” he explains once he musters up the strength to tear all his attention away from Harry. 

There’s a split second of a burning gaze on the side of his head, and he’s reminded of one of the reasons he’d visited Lake Tahoe. 

Then Ryan looks away, and the burning feeling is gone. 

“Don’t worry too much Grimmy, I’m almost positive it comfortably fits six people,” Brendon continues, grinning to himself once Nick starts giving an in depth reason as to why he should get his own room, in the case that they were short on space. After about the third justification, Brendon’s in his own world again, the warm hand on his leg never leaving. 

&

Stiff, summer heat greets Brendon outside of the parlor as soon as he opens the doors. It had gotten incredibly dark outside, the moon and parking lot lights competing to outshine each other. He reaches for his car keys in his pocket, just as Spencer is gently grabbing his arm as he catches up to him. Brendon turns with a smile. “Don’t have misses Smith waiting too long, she might start to get jealous you’re spending all this time with me.” 

Spencer chuckles just the slightest before his face flushes with concern. “Yeah, thanks for the warning. I just wanted to make sure you’re...okay.” 

“Okay?” Brendon repeats back. “What are you on about?” 

He knows exactly where this is going. 

“I just,” Spencer drags out a sigh, letting his arm drop back to his side. “I know you’re not on the best of terms with him, but this could be good for you two, too. Closure, you know?” 

“This isn’t about me, Spence. It’s your vacation, your wedding. The last thing you should worry about is me and an old flame. Which, you can say his name.” 

“I know, I guess I’m just so used to being-“ 

“Careful?” Brendon finishes when the other can’t find the words his finish his thought. “Don’t worry about me really, I’m fine. Go home and give Linda a kiss for me.” 

They finally depart with a hug, and somehow Brendon’s aware that they both sense the lies he just spewed. 

The side of his car is accessorized by an all too familiar figure, who wastes no time in kissing him as soon as they’re close enough.

“A bit overdue, you think?” Harry mumbles against his lips and Brendon hums in agreement, shushing him by pressing forward again. The kiss is over too soon again and God, he really wishes the boy would stop talking in this moment. “Come back to my place.” 

“You couldn’t just text this to me?” 

Harry gasps as if it’s the most absurd thing he’s heard. Brendon thinks he’s more dramatic than himself in certain cases, and that says a lot itself. “And support the possibility of you texting and driving? Never.” 

“Get off of my car.” It takes a number of more pecks to get his boyfriend to follow the directive. Not that he was complaining at all; his goal for tonight was to keep himself from having to deal with the hassle of packing for as long as he could and it worked. 

Because he’s the perfect gentleman, Brendon watches Harry get back to his own ride moments later. He catches the stare of the last person he wanted to see again at the time, supposedly coming from his own conversation with Spencer. Whether Ryan was staring at him for Spencer possibly giving a similar talk or for witnessing the interaction that just occurred, Brendon can’t determine or give time to care. 

He just knows he wants to leave the pizza parlor as soon as possible. 

He also knows it’s going to be a long weekend.


	2. two

While fumbling with the camera in his hand, Brendon manages to push open the front door of the cabin with his hip. The strap from its bag falls from his other shoulder down his arm and he lets it collapse to the floor with a sigh. 

Becoming a temporary photographer for the next week was the last thing he expected to do. He imagines the bag sighs with him. 

“I told you to be careful with that thing,” Spencer reminds him as he makes an entrance into the living room, spotting the camera bag on the floor. Brendon replies with a quick snap of the man in front of him, examining the screen to see how the photo came out. 

“You’re worrying way too much.” The picture turns out to be wonderful, considering him never properly operating one before. Footsteps approach him, nine to be exact, and immediately his best friend is peering over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the picture. “You should show Linda when you call her for the tenth time today,” Brendon teases, earning him a slap on the back of his head. As he’s reaching over to get revenge, Spencer is already walking up the stairs to where the rooms are, holding his phone up to his ear.

To put it simply, Tahoe has been perfect. And the fact that it hadn’t been a full twenty four hours since they landed leaves Brendon to believe that it may be one of the best trips he has planned. Everyone seems to be comfortably settling in to the place, especially Nick who was pleased to have opted out of sharing a room with Niall. Instead he chose to take the double room with Ryan, and the two seem to be getting along quite well. 

Brendon is suddenly aware of how quiet the cabin is at that thought. 

He trails up the stairs, going to his and Harry’s shared room, where he is greeted by the words ‘Gone Swimming!’ on the door. He doesn’t even spend more than two seconds thinking of who found the sign in the cabin and where, because he quickly switches out his clothes for swimming trunks. The godforsaken camera is held securely in his arms as he makes his way back downstairs, along with his beach towel and sunglasses that he slides on top of his head. 

The quietness almost makes Brendon stay behind to just wait for the others to return. He has missed this cabin after all, it’d be a great opportunity to relax from the early morning he’s had. But seeing Ryan sitting on the couch makes him forget he even thought about staying.

Not that they were avoiding each other or anything. However, in the case that they were, Brendon would not wanna be alone in the same space with the older man. 

Brendon’s flip flop hitting the last stair times Ryan’s head snapping up from his phone. Surprisingly, neither look away once their eyes meet. It’s Brendon who speaks first. 

“I think the rest of the guys went out to the beach, I‘m gonna find them.” He doesn’t even know why he’s standing there explaining himself (would Ryan even join him?) but he can’t help it when his mind starts ticking off the seconds until he gets a reply. When he reaches ten, he realizes the response would never come. And just like that, the silence of the cabin isn’t as welcoming anymore. 

The smell of the trees and nearby water is comforting though and Brendon is grateful that he even remembers how to breathe again. He hates the part of him that always allows Ryan Ross of all people to have this effect on him. It’s the same part that hasn’t caught on to them not being in love with one another anymore. Maybe Ryan has a similar side of him somewhere past his blank stare and empty responses; the two were never destined to be absolutely apart. 

Brendon pulls down his sunglasses over his eyes, wishing they could block out his thoughts too. 

When he reaches the beach, there aren’t many visitors which is how he is easily able to spot Harry sitting in the sand. He’s cradling a book in his hands as Brendon sits down beside him, softly placing kisses on his bare shoulder. The gestures go unnoticed, so Brendon finally moves away and huffs. “You’re seriously reading on a beach?” 

Harry shrugs and closes the pages to face his persistent, now pouty boyfriend. “It’s quite relaxing.” 

“Others call it boring, darling.” Brendon gets a scoff in response. He thinks it’s flattering. “C’mon, you could at least take a quick swim with me, I’m sure Nick and Niall are getting lonely.” 

“More like too busy trying to drown each other.” A quick glance at the water confirms Harry’s statement because sure enough, Niall is pushing Nick’s head under water. Brendon turns his attention back to Harry, who looks amused at the interaction between the two. He takes it as an opportunity to snap a picture of him, so he removes his sunglasses and brings up the camera to do just that. It comes out beautiful, not that he expected anything else with Harry being in it. The sun embraces him in the photo, giving him a natural glow to his summer skin and turning such a small moment into something worthy of being framed. 

If Brendon didn’t already know how far gone he was for the model in front of him, this certainly was a reminder. 

“You’re gorgeous,” he breathes out once he looks up and finds Harry’s radiating smile. 

“Thank you, but I hope you don’t end up with a gallery of pictures of just me by the time we get back to the city.” 

The camera shutters again before Harry can even complete his sentence, and Brendon just smiles back at him.

&&&

The Nevada portion Tahoe has one major perk, of course: the casinos. It’s the perfect way to set the tone for their vacation, considering they’re a bunch of Vegas boys at heart. So after their visit to the beach, the guys returned back to the cabin, trading in their wet clothes for something to make them look like proper bachelors. 

Fast forward plenty of hours later and their full attention has been brought to the bar, deciding to spend some of the money they strategically didn’t lose to gambling on drinks. Brendon knows he’s had enough liquor when he finds Niall’s jokes funny, and when he starts to think that maybe Ryan isn’t an asshole. They still aren’t speaking to each other per say, but when they’re both pitching in to the same group conversation, it isn’t his least favorite thing in the world. 

But then again, he is looking way too much into this situation. And it’s safe to say it’s just because they’re all equally buzzed. 

As a distraction, Brendon blows a good chunk of his money at the nearest blackjack table with enough convincing from Spencer. Except the later man actually lucks out for the first time the whole night and showcases his rightfully earned bragging rights to the rest of the guys. 

“I’m gonna have a wife and I’m gonna be rich!”

Nick pipes up from his spot at the end of the bar, “And I’m gonna be rich once I return your wedding gift.” 

“How about another round of drinks on the groom?” Harry proposes, holding up his empty glass and earning an obnoxious chorus of cheers in agreement from all but one. 

They ultimately disperse with the goal of beating Spencer’s winnings. There’s no set prize in place for whoever reaches said goal, seeing as the group will all leave with empty pockets at the rate they’re going. 

Brendon finds himself in an intense round of poker, keeping an eye out for the girl next to him who’s clearly perfected the game. She’s won the previous round and does not seemed phased by anything whatsoever. He silently prays that the dealer will somehow screw up her streak, and it works, just not in his favor. 

Simply walking away from the table was a mature decision for him, considering he could’ve flicked everyone off before leaving and pushed all the casino chips to the floor. A light voice stops him just as he spots Harry across the room, cheering on Niall at a slot machine. “You know, you shouldn’t play a game you don’t understand in a casino.” 

He turns around to face his former poker opponent, dressed in a sequin dress sure enough to turn heads all over the building. Her knowing red lips turn into a smirk as she continues talking. “And you were drinking. They make the drinks cheap here for a reason, babe. You can’t possibly win poker if you’re not sober.”

“Who are you?” Brendon slowly asks, quickly taking into account that there were a million other questions he could’ve asked the stranger. 

“I’m Z.” She extends her hand out and Brendon takes it into his own. “And you are?” 

“Brendon. And by the way, I do know how to play poker, and I’m not even that drunk.” 

Z laughs, as if she’s just heard the funniest thing ever. Maybe she had. “Well we can agree that you’re quite the sore loser. Made me upset seeing you go so soon.” 

Brendon folds his arm in defense, figuring he’ll entertain the conversation more. “Oh yeah? How about you just win me a round or two?” 

“And what’s in it for me?” 

“Hm, I could introduce you to the finest groomsmen I know. We’re pretty fun,” he suggests, and Z seems intrigued. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal, B.” 

Despite them both losing yet again, they declare it a win-win for themselves since they’re enjoying each other’s company. Brendon attempts to help Z find her friends when not a single person he arrived with is in sight. That’s when he meets Helena, the epitome of the life of the party with long legs and glassy eyes. Hanging off of her arm was no other than Ryan, showing his teeth in a cheeky grin. 

“Had a great talk with your boy earlier, think he’s looking for you,” he says to Brendon once the girls start rambling about the music selection in the room. He almost misses it; it’s the first time Ryan has spoken directly to him in what feels like forever. For a relatively quiet person, Ryan sure does talk a great deal once he’s had a few drinks in him. What Brendon doesn’t miss is the way chills run through his body at the thought of what the other could’ve possibly said to Harry. 

He would look down and number the goosebumps on him forearm, but instead he replies, “Good, I was starting to miss him touching me.”

The infuriated look on Ryan’s face was enough to let Brendon know that he succeeded in covering up how bothered he actually was on the inside. Practice makes perfect. 

Without another look at his ex, he bids Z and Helena a goodbye, with a promise to see them soon since he technically still had his part of the deal with Z to hold up. Not too long after, he finally reunites with Harry and together, they decide to return to the cabin. It’s the first time he feels like he’s won all night.


	3. three

It’s when Harry comes back from a morning run with Nick that Brendon asks him about Ryan. 

He had considered interrupting Harry about four times as he recounts how they got lost and ended up getting a ride instead of running back, but Brendon has enough manners to know it would have been extremely rude. That, and they just had an amazing night together, alone in the comfort of the cabin for a solid hour before the others started to question their whereabouts. Somehow thinking about those sixty minutes made Brendon feel nauseous for even letting the thought of cutting off Harry’s animated story pass his mind. It’s still fresh in his memories so it’s only natural he doesn’t want an unnecessary argument to overshadow that. 

“Did you...have you talked to Ryan at all lately?”

Turns out overthinking the question rendered his brain completely useless; the way he stumbles over his words mirrors the way Harry reacts to hearing them. The taller man furrows his eyebrows and manages to regain his balance before replying, “Um, yeah something like that. He seemed pretty wasted though, nothing worth remembering.” 

Brendon doesn’t get a chance to relay the million and ten things on his brain at that moment, for Harry begins to speak again. “Y’know I think he’s pretty close with Nick now. The guy wouldn’t shut up about him on our way here.”

Immediately, Brendon scoffs, just as Harry pulls his shirt over his head, the headband holding back his curls falling with it. “Ryan’s close with everyone. Why do you think we broke up?” 

“Oh, stop it,” Harry makes his way over to where Brendon is now defensively folding his arms over his chest. He sits on the edge of the bed and prevents the other from talking again by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, just relax. You can’t keep letting yourself get so worked up over just talking about him.”

“Well that’s just easy for you to say.” 

“You don’t think I know that?” Harry all but snaps back, retreating his hand from Brendon’s shoulder as if he had just been scorched. It feels that way for Brendon at least, for there’s heat rising to his cheeks in realization of how much of an asshole he must sound. So much for avoiding an unnecessary argument. “It would be easy for you too if you weren’t so hard headed sometimes.“

He takes two deep breaths, then a third, to properly insure he doesn’t say anything else he shouldn’t. “I know, H, I didn’t mean it like that-“ 

“I’m gonna take a shower.” Without another look behind him, Harry leaves the room. 

Brendon thinks to himself that maybe it’s about time for him to get a grip. But before he decides that he’s done sulking over the weird encounter that just occurred, he goes downstairs and finds Niall making something in the kitchen. Everything seems to still be in tact so he supposes it’s safe to take a seat at the island. “Don’t plan on ruining my kitchen today do you Horan?” 

“Brendon!” Niall greets instead of answering the question. It’s not very settling. “Just the man I wanted to see. Try some French toast.” All of a sudden there’s a plate of the aforementioned food in front of him, and he expresses his thanks before eating it. Niall turns to the sink to start cleaning up dishes while continuing their conversation. 

Listening to Niall talk ends up being the perfect distraction. He jumps from subject to subject, sometimes revisiting something he’s said five minutes ago or even five days ago. Every once in a while, Brendon will nod or offer a short reply to show he is still paying attention, but eventually he begins to sink back into his own thoughts again. It’s like his own body betrays him when those thoughts become verbal, and he blurts out, “I think Harry’s upset with me.” 

Niall faces Brendon with a surprised look that morphs into confusion. “Why?” 

“He was being supportive and I ruined it by being stubborn. Now I’m going to end up spending this vacation with two exes,” Brendon whines as Niall snorts and takes a seat at the island. 

“Well for one, you’re being dramatic. He’d find a way to break up with himself before he even thinks about breaking up with you.” 

“And how do you know that?” 

“Because he’s my best friend,” Niall marvels. And of course, Brendon can’t argue with that. If anyone could put his relationship with Spencer to shame, it’d definitely be those two. “And I know that he only means well, especially for you. You just gotta stop being such a drama queen.” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Brendon says, smiling. He pushes his empty plate over to Niall. “I’ll remember to work on that. Thank you.”

Niall just nods as he takes the dish over to the sink in his original spot. While Brendon makes his way out of the kitchen, Niall stops him. “I may not fit your tall, curly brown haired type but if you’re looking for someone new soon...” 

There’s a silent pause after he trails off that Brendon lets go on, for the sake of refusing to laugh. Even if he finds the slightest bit of humor in it. “Keep on dreaming, blondie.” 

&&&

The six bachelors meet on the deck of the huge tour boat, matched in ridiculous floral button down shirts. They look like proper tourists and Spencer hates it. He wasted no time in ditching the shirt immediately following the group picture someone kindly took of them with the camera Brendon brought. It was the only way he could keep the soon to be wedded man in the shirt, because of the great photo opportunity and all. Now, they’re listening to the tour guide list off historical facts about Lake Tahoe in a rehearsed, energetic tone. The only reason just about anyone is listening is because of her promise to inform everyone about the various activities on the boat that haven’t started yet. 

“I hope there’s wine tasting,” Harry whispers. Brendon looks to his side to reply, but it turns out the comment was directed towards Niall instead. He frowns as Niall says something back to Harry just as quietly, probably agreeing with or teasing him, or both. Brendon was never good at reading lips; nor was he great at apologizing either, seeing as he’s yet to do so. There has been thick air between them since the morning and it’s up to him to fix it. For now, he chooses to use the group splitting up as an excuse to postpone the apology. He sees Ryan and Spencer part together, Niall and Harry doing the same. 

So Brendon ends up with Nick just when the boat starts to move across the water. Neither of them had been paying much attention to what was available for them to kill time until dinner, where everyone decided to meet again. However, they were relieved to find a pool after a bit of aimless walking. Nick is enthusiastic about it since he had come prepared with swim shorts. Brendon didn’t care much for being in water on a boat that was already in the middle of more water, so he takes a seat by the railings with his promise to watch Nick’s things and the camera still hung around his neck. 

The passing view of the city keeps him company. He takes the opportunity to take a few photos then leans back in the chair to relax, the sound of the lake almost lulling him to sleep. 

An unmeasurable amount of time later, Brendon is brought back to reality by a voice calling his name. He was positive that it was in his head but the person approaching him proves himself wrong. Z smiles down at him before turning into a fit of laughter. “A pleasure to meet you again, sleeping beauty.” 

Brendon beams as he catches on to her contagious laugh, “What are you doing here? I’m starting to think you’re stalking me.” 

“You should get used to seeing me around. I’m everywhere and know everyone,” Z explains. It’d sound cocky if it came from anyone else, but she sounds all but it. Brendon would’ve certainly remembered someone like her had he met her during his past visits to the cabin, so he assumes she’s a fairly new and very friendly resident. “Are you here with your friends?” 

“I’ve probably lost them all by now but they’re here.” 

“Great! You all should come see my band play later on tonight on the third floor.”

“You’re in a band?” Brendon stammers. 

Z nods proudly. “The Good Mischiefs. I hear we’re pretty good, so I promise you won’t be wasting your time.” 

“Count us in.” She flashes another bright smile at him before she leaves his sight, needing to rehearse. As he looks into the direction where she walked off, he sees Harry leaning against a rail near the back of the boat, alone. A strong wave of guilt pulls at Brendon’s heart and he figures now would be a good time to make amends. He bends down next to his seat to grab Nick’s clothes only to find them gone. The man was no where to be found in the pool either, or on the deck. He probably left after Brendon had nodded off, something he’d never admit to doing in the middle of vacation out loud. 

By the time he starts walking away from his chair, Harry was now facing towards Brendon and not the river, watching him. Brendon feels the tinniest bit of intimidation crawling under his skin. There’s a massive number of emotions that this single person can make him feel and he hates that he loves it anyway.

“Hey,” Brendon sighs quietly once he’s standing in front of Harry. His boyfriend gives a small nod. 

“Figured I couldn’t sneak away from everyone for long. I’m glad you’re the one who found me.” 

Hearing that itself makes Brendon want to cry. It goes without saying that Harry has one of the kindest hearts, in the face of anything they go through. Brendon nearly wants Harry to be more pissed at him since he has the right to be anyway. Maybe he could throw himself overboard as a favor. Before he considers it further though, he inspects the white hat atop Harry’s head. “Where’d you get a captain hat from?” 

Harry touches the brim like he’d forgotten he was wearing it, then chuckles, “They didn’t believe Niall was old enough for wine tasting, and he forgot to bring his ID. So we did team trivia instead and won. He let me pick the prize.” 

“Good choice, you look amazing.” Harry grins at the compliment and they both fall silent. When Harry tries to shift back to the rail, Brendon grabs his hand to stop him and doesn’t let go. “Listen, I’m really sorry about earlier. You were right and it was stupid of me to just brush you off when you were just being helpful.” 

“It wasn’t stupid, love.” Harry gently pulls Brendon forward and brings their joined hands up, then presses his lips against Brendon’s knuckles. “I get that you’re frustrated. I might not like it but I’ve always got your back so I forgive you.” 

The weight lifted off Brendon’s shoulders allows him to sigh happily and initiate a long overdue kiss. 

Later on, they’re the last ones to arrive at dinner since Harry decided to take the camera to snap pictures of Brendon. The short photoshoot only ended when Brendon proposed that he’d take Harry to another wine tasting event. Half of him did it because he knew he’d never hear the end of it if they didn’t go before leaving the boat. The other half’s reason was that he was overwhelmed from the praise he was was getting from Harry. He is going to have to delete a ton of pictures before returning the camera to Spencer at the end of all their traveling. 

Also, Harry is incredibly irresistible with rosy cheeks from drinking. It was a win-win-win for Brendon. 

After eating, the group makes it to the third floor, where The Good Mischiefs have made the stage their home. The small crowd that is stationed in front of them moves in sync to the beat of the song. Z is the spitting image of the perfect frontman, giving her all into the performance. Just from the half minute of examining the band, Brendon would have to agree with the people Z said described them as ‘pretty good’. 

All of a sudden, he’s being embraced by someone from the side. He returns the gesture blindly at first but is eased to finally see Helena glowing besides him. “I’m so happy you’re here, Z’s gonna be stoked you came!” 

“I’m glad to be here!” Brendon replied, hoping he is loud enough to be heard over the music. He only notices that he’s standing alone with her when Ryan approaches them at the end of the song. He makes it a point to smugly glance at Brendon when he wraps an arm around Helena and maneuvers them closer to the crowd. It happens so briskly that he doesn’t even have time to be too annoyed by Ryan’s obvious intentions to make him jealous. A small fraction of him still reacts coldly against his will. 

Two songs later, Brendon and Spencer are sitting together at the bar for a drink to cool them off. They’re easily amused by the fact that Niall hasn’t stopped dancing with Harry and Nick since they showed up; it’s actually pretty impressive. 

“There’s no way I can be your best man,” Spencer announces. “I’m not topping this trip so you should find someone else.” 

“I was starting to consider Linda for the position more than you anyway.” Brendon playfully elbows Spencer with a grin. Z’s voice booms throughout the room from the speakers as she announces that they’ll be performing their last song of the night. The chorus of cheers is soon drowned out by the music. Brendon hadn’t really thought about getting married himself for a while, not since before he and Ryan split. He shutters at the idea of how naive he’d been. Thankfully, it’s in the past now, and his future was currently dancing the night away with their friends. “How do I know he’s the one?” 

At first Brendon was undoubted that Spencer hadn’t picked up on his question, until he gets an answer. “Trust me, you sound like already know.” 

The closing lines of the final song somehow reassures him that Spencer might be right. 

_my wild heart is new to this  
the borders can’t help but soften   
baby, it’s my right to be reckless   
but i’ll handle you with caution _


End file.
